Growing Mint

With winter on its way, it's time to think about an indoor garden that you can enjoy through the colder months. Mint is a flavor of the holidays, from candy canes to minty hot cocoa. Grow mint indoors this winter for a fresh, cool flavor you can use in so many ways!

With winter on its way, it's time to think about an indoor garden that you can enjoy through the colder months. Mint is a flavor of the holidays, from candy canes to minty hot cocoa. Grow mint indoors this winter for a fresh, cool flavor you can use in so many ways!

There are several varieties of mint, and all work well for indoor container gardening. The most common varieties are peppermint, spearmint and wintergreen, each of which have their own variation on a minty flavor.

Choose a mint plant from a garden store or home improvement store, (I've even seen them in grocery stores!) Transplant your mint seedling into a 4-inch pot with good drainage. Mint grows best with a quality container potting mix that includes vermiculite and/or perlite to help retain moisture. The pot should be filled about three-quarters full of potting mix, then you can add the transplant or cuttings and top off with soil.

Mint likes moisture, so a 1/2-inch layer of mulch on top of the soil can help keep the moisture in. A self-watering container isn't a bad idea either. Give mint good indirect light from a south or west-facing window in the winter, or an east-facing window in summer. You can begin to harvest small sprigs of mint after the first month, but be careful not to take more than half the foliage over the winter--it will need those leaves to soak up sunlight and grow in the spring.